The Haunting

SYNOPSIS

Nothing to scream over, and certainly little to shout about, this remake of Robert Wise's 1963 classic from director Jan De Bont tries hard but fails to live up to the original. The 12 certificate says everything about this frightless wonder, which isn't the least bit scary, maybe because it uses computer-generated animation to show all the poltergeist activity that was so effectively unseen in the original. Thinking they have been ushered to the notoriously haunted Hill House for an insomnia study, withdrawn Lili Taylor, bisexual Catherine Zeta-Jones and cynical Owen Wilson soon discover that they are really there to test out doctor Liam Neeson's theories on the origins of fear. Hokey in the extreme, this horror is at least lifted by the quality cast, who all take it amazingly seriously, and the imposing and beautifully designed baroque sets.